Thats what I'm talking bout I love reading these analysis from an expert as yourself.

I will start by disagreeing on TriHorror. Yes, it is slow, but unless banished it gets a lot of value. So many stats. Also combos nicely with stuff that rewards you for breaking your own champions. We frequently fid it difficult to deal eith (I suspect because we don't value bounce and single target removal quite as highly as you do).

I am surprised that you don't rste necrovirus higher considering that you love single target removal. It just seems super powerful to me even without the effect in the discard pile.

Btw, Rable Rouser does not produce a super exponential number of human tokens. He produces more than 2^n but fewer than 3^n (also an exponential function).

Arcane research is above the median by definition. As you say, it can always replace itself, but you a card in the discard pile which can be used to recycle or returned to hand with cards that return events. Also often, it can help you find specific answers.There are no cards punishing you from playing events (would be an interesting design space), so this makes any deck better as far as im concerned. To me, it is one if the only objectively stronger than most cards in the game.

Trihorror:Trihorror is interesting because it has always either been terrible for/against me or great. Countless times I have seen Trihorror get immediately bounced (Erase, Sea Titan, and Vanishing primarily) or banished (Palace Guard and Wave of Transformation primarily). In these situations, I gained minimal value by playing it (forced my opponent to have and use specific removal on it), I really dislike cards that can so easily give me nothing.

On the other hand, when my opponent hasn't been able to answer it, Stand Alone with Trihorror in play completely turned around a game I was otherwise going to lose. I have also been able to play The Risen after Trihorror broke on my turn to deal 24 damage. So while the value can be great (Final Task), I don't like taking the risk that I'll get nothing.

Necrovirus:When Necrovirus came out I loved it. Since then it has fallen out of favor for me a bit. Not having an "or draw 2" option makes it a bit less versatile. In addition, I can't use it to clear out ambushed in chump blockers on my turn since it leaves a zombie.

It is, however, one of the best off-turn targeted removal effects in the game. Leaving yourself a chump blocker after breaking a champion is a big deal. Overall though, I highly value the option to draw 2 hence Bitten, Forced Exile, Inner Demon, and Transform's higher tier.

Rabble Rouser:Good point. How's this - "This is a card that must be removed or it will overwhelm the board with its greater than doubling madness. (I believe the most humans I saw it create was around 36, since some tokens gave their life along the way.)"

Arcane Research:Unfortunately for Arcane Research, you need to banish itself when you play it. Therefore, it will never actually enter the discard pile (unless discard to hand size, Thought Plucker, etc.) However, you have nudged me far enough to up its tier:

**Update**I've been convinced to increase Arcane Research's tier from Situationally Acceptable to Always Acceptable-. Since, if you only have lower tier cards to draft from it can always at least replace itself into a different card you drafted. It also doesn't count against the number of 0-cost cards you can include (since there is no limit in draft). I'm throwing the minus onto it because I don't like revealing cards when I don't have to.****

Thanks for the reply. Good point about arcane reaearch, My Brain messed up on that one I am not sure what you mean by revealing cards, would you consider yourself at a disadvantage if you had 29 cards vs the opponents 30? it seems that you have higher consistency and easier planning by having fewer cards.

When you play Arcane Research you need to show your opponent the top x cards from the top of your deck where x = the number of cards banished from your discard pile + 1. Then they get to see which of those cards you take. Frequently, when Arcane Research is played without banishing any other cards in your discard pile, you are signalling to your opponent that you do not have any great plays you want to make at that time in hand. Then, you show your opponent the new card you gained. Unless you immediately play it, they are now able to play around that card to prevent you from getting the most value out of it.

This could also potentially reveal one of your 10 first picks that your opponent had not seen in the draft. Giving your opponent this information is a very subtle disadvantage, but it is an important one. This is also why I don't really like banishing multiple cards with Arcane Research in draft. Information is powerful, especially early in a match.

With regard to thinning your deck (effectively having 29 cards instead of 30 because Arcane Research draws itself into a new card), I've made a similar argument with regard to Surprise Attack in constructed. However, I don't think it applies as much in draft generally and with Arcane Research specifically. Partially because of the information given to your opponent.

On the extreme end, why I doubt I'll ever push Arcane Research near the Always Desirable or better tier is the fact that I would almost never draft Arcane Research over Amnesia, Kong, Drain Essence, Rescue Griffin, Palace Guard, etc. I would much rather add one of the strongest cards in the game to my deck than a card that draws me to the other 29 cards a little bit faster. In general, one high-impact card is more likely to win me a game than drawing into my median drafted card. (This is why I boosted it to Always Acceptable- though since I assume my median card will at least be at the Always Acceptable- level, and taking Arcane Research would probably be better than taking anything below that tier.)

Overall, the information lost playing Arcane Research except to win the game is not worth it for me, in draft. If I can Arcane Research 10 cards to draw my Flame Strike 7 cards deep to win the game, incredible. Besides that, I'd personally rather just have another Always Acceptable draw 2 or better card.

This is one of my card ratings that I think is most at odds with most other people, but I am always happy to be proved wrong.